Feeding device for ironing-machines.



E, LiCHTENST-EINJ FEEDING DEVICE FOR momma MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 5. 1916. 1 1,6 7,739, Patented May 28,1918.-

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I E. LICHTENSTEIN. FEEDING DEVICE FOR IRONIN'G MACHINES. v APFTLICATION FILED AUG.5. I916. LQWJW, Patented; May28,1918;

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and arrangement of EDWIN LIGHTENSTEIN, OF NEW YORK, IN. Y.

FEEDING- DEVICE FOR IROITING-MACHEQ'ES.

acetate.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Patented May 28, 3918.

Application filed August 5, 1916. Serial No. 113,282.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN Lroncrnnsrnm, citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Feeding Devices for Ironingdtlachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ironing machines, and more particularly to devices for use in feeding the work to flat work ironing machines. Suctiaiachines are employed for ironing sheets, table cloths .and like flat articles of various sizes, which articles are usually fed to the machine by one or two operators from bars or horses upon which they are previously arranged.

The particular objects of this invention are to reduce the necessary work or effort of the operators, who heretofore have been required to lift or move loaded bars or horses, whereas in the present device the operators are required to lift or move only an empty tray or carrier; and to economize time'and space in the work room by an arrangement of devices which is more compact and permits .the same amount of work to be done in less time and in smaller ground area.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter.

The invention comprises the construction parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, which represent several embodiments of the invention, Figure l is a side elevation of. one form of device applied to a flat work ironer; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, the ironer being omitted; Fig.

3 is a sectional elevation on the line 33, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line illustration the drawings show only the entering end of a flat work ironing machine embodying a suitable frame 1, the concave heated ironing chest 2, the first pressure roll chine the work, such as table cloths, sheets or the like, is hung over the bars or horses,

-which are carried loaded to the machine and laid in notches in the frame at the entering end of the machine, so that the operators can lift the work'from said bars and feed it to the machine. Such bars, and the supports of the machine therefor, may be omitted when the present invention is used.

The present invention comprises a suitable frame work 10, which may be of any suitable form and, as shown, consists of upright side standards 11, which may be angle irons connected by suitable cross braces 12. Attached to said standards are upper and lower guide-ways or tracks, marked 13 and 14 respectively, which may also be angle members with their vertical flanges secured to the standards 11 and their horizontal flanges 15 extending inwardly therefrom. Said guide-ways may be located at any suitable elevation, but preferably the lower guide-way is at about the level of the apron 4:, while the upper guide-way may be a foot or so above the lower guide-way.

The work to be ironed is laid, hung or otherwise arranged upon trays or carriers 16, which may be of any suitable form, but preferably are narrow, not more than about 12 inches in width, to economize space. Several. duplicate trays or carriers are used with each machine, each of them comprising a sheet metal body 17 in the form of an inverted shallow pan provided at its opposite ends with two or more feet 18 having anti-friction devices, such as balls or rollers 19, rolling on the horizontal flanges 15 of the guide-ways, and being also provided on their ends with endwise projecting antifriction devices, such as balls or rollers 20, which travel between the vertical flanges 21 of the guide-ways.

The lower guide-way 14 is long enough to accommodate several trays or carriers, say .two, three, four or more, it being the intention to load the trays with work to be ironed while in position at the outer ends of said guideways, and then advance them in macmn male-WW2; w

mains inner e1 is m ans is E 9 AI 0 O S uh men 1 Lan L c.1116 cuts a to 33 a farther toward the ironing machine than. in the form before described, and the portion of the upper guide-way marked 45 is connected by rigid straps 46 to the lower guideway to form a double gate 26% whose hinges are indicated at 47. I

With the arrangement just described an elevator with the empty tray thereon is lifted by operation of the treadle mechanism when the gates 26 are closed, and the empty tray is run back upon the upper guide-way. The elevator is then dropped and the loaded tray advanced to position thereon. The gates are then opened and the operators step in to feed the work to the ironing machine.

Fig. 7 illustrates diagrammatically another arrangement in which the tracks or guide-ways 50 are parallel to the entering end of the ironingmachine 51, instead of normal thereto, as in the forms before described. Thetrays 52 also roll endwise along said guide-ways; the same rails serving to support both ends of the trays. The return guide-ways 53 may be above the delivery guide-ways, as in the forms before described but are shown as at the same level and spaced horizontally therefrom. This arrangement dispenses with the hinged gates of the other forms and the two sets of guide-wags may be of equal length, although t is is not essential. Other modifications will also occur to those skilled in the What I claim is 1. Apparatus for feeding work to a machine, comprising a frame, two sets of guideways thereon spaced from each other and lying at different levels, one of said guideways leading to. the machine and having loading and feeding stations at the same leval, and work carrying devices movable on sai other of said guideways serving to return said devices to the loading station.

' Apparatus for feeding work to a mach1ne,compr1sing a frame, twosets of guideways thereon spaced from each other and lying at different levels, one of said guide ways leading to themachine and having loading and feeding stations at the same level, and work carrying devices movable on said guideways from station to station, said guideways being provided with a movable portion adapted when opened to permit the guideways from station to station, the 1 guideways being provided with a movable portion adapted when opened to permit the operator to enter the frame for feeding the work from said devices to the machine and means operable at will for elevating saiddevices from the lower to the upper guideways.

4. Apparatus for feeding work to a machine, comprising a frame, two sets of guldeways located at different levels, the lower guideway having a loading station at oneencl and a feeding station at the other end adjacent said machine, and work carrying devices movable on said guideway from the loading to the feeding station, the upper guideway serving to return said devices to i the loading station.

5. Apparatus for feeding work to a machine, comprising a frame, two sets of ideways located at difierent levels, the ower guideway having a loading station at one end and a feeding station at the other end adjacent said machine, and work carrying devices movable on said guideway from the loading to the feeding station, the upper guideway serving to return said devices to the loading station, said lower guideway having a hinged gate near its feeding station adapted when opened to allow the operator to enter the frame and feed work from said devices to the machine.

6., Apparatus for feeding work to a machine, comprising a frame, two sets of guideways located at different levels, the lower guideway having a loading station at one end and a feeding station at the other end adjacentsaid machine, and work .carrying devices movable on said guideway from the loading to the feeding station, the upper guideway serving to return said devices to the loadin station, and means operable at will for e levating said devices from the lower to the upper guide ways. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWIN LICHTENSTEIN. 

